Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov
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Nov. 24, 2008 2009 King County Budget preserves programs, looks to Legislature for help with funding“Our good efforts cannot solve the underlying structural problems” Faced with an unprecedented $93.4 million general fund shortfall and proposed cuts to a host of programs, the Metropolitan King County Council today approved a 2009 King County budget that protects the public’s highest priorities of public safety, health and quality of life.
“The Council was able to restore funding for the Sheriff’s storefront offices, reinstate necessary court services, and rescue critical public health programs,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine. “But all our good efforts cannot solve the underlying structural problems. We must get the help of the state Legislature to ensure that state-mandated services, such as public health and safety, are protected into the future.”
The Council approved a total $4.9 billion budget with a general fund of $627.8 million. To fund the restoration of the public’s priorities, the Council made more than $10 million in reductions to funds for future maintenance needs, some technology projects, and lower-priority programs.
The budget restores 19 positions to the Sheriff’s office that will:
• Keep open all Sheriff’s storefront offices in the unincorporated areas of the county.
• Continue the Sheriff’s participation in regional drug, firearm, and gang task forces.
• Restore funding for major accident detectives who also support major crime scene investigations such as homicides, ChildFind detectives, K-9 services and other important specialized positions.
• Maintain security at the County’s court facilities.
The budget also addresses several proposed cuts in King County courts, including:
• Restoring full-year funding for the Superior Court’s successful Drug Diversion Court and Unified Family Court Services.
• Restoring full-year funding for the District Court’s award-winning Mental Health Court and preserves support for Relicensing Court.
• Restoring full-year funding for community corrections programs that are vital to holding down criminal justice costs while holding low-risk offenders accountable, including housing vouchers, chemical dependency treatment, and programs through the Central Area Motivation Program, the LELO program, the Learning Center, and Helping Hands.
In drafting the final budget, the Council accepted County Executive Ron Sims’ proposal to create a funding “lifeboat” containing programs that are funded for the first six months of 2009. This will give the Council and the Executive the opportunity to seek efficiencies in current programs, while working with the state Legislature to create new revenue sources to continue adequate funding through 2009 and beyond.
The Council’s budget provides full-year funding for all public health centers, funds all family planning services for the first nine months of 2009, and funds some public health services for the first six months of 2009, while the County works with the Legislature to develop revenues totaling $4.5 million to fund these programs for the remainder of 2009. If no support is found, these services could be reduced or entirely eliminated on July 1, 2009.
The Council’s budget provides funding for the annual King County Fair and the 4-H program, while restoring staffing and funding in the Water and Land Resources Division to maintain operation of the County’s agriculture, forestry, basin and rural stewardship, and current use programs.
This budget keeps bus service on the streets to meet record demand from riders. It also ensures that the promised service increases in the voter-approved 2006 “Transit Now” ballot measure will be delivered, despite a dramatic plunge in the sales tax revenues that support Metro Transit.
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